Challenge: Our Past
by Splash and Misty
Summary: A challenge for NightClan about how my cat comes into the clan. Credit to Xixi, Dusky, and Icy because Ravenstar, Dusklight, and Lilacstorm belong to them all in turn. Also Rainstrike belongs to Feather/Rain/Raindrops/whatever we call her nowadays, and Quietkit is Hail's cat.


Brightpaw yawned, curling up in her mossy nest after yet another long day of training with her mentor, Lilacstorm. She was exhausted and wear to the bone, and the apprentice couldn't think of anything she'd rather do then rest. As she closed her eyes, the white-furred she-cat sighed contentedly, drifting into the dark void of sleep...

...

 _The snow white kit was curled in the crook of a queen's belly, nestled amongst three other kits. The queen herself was white like the she-kit, her brilliant green eye and bright blue eye both fluttering softly as she awoke._

 _The little kit's sister was a very pale silver tabby she-kit, with blue eyes. They had two brothers, one a cloudy gray and the other white like the queen and the first kit._

 _Blinking open pale blue eyes, the first tiny she-kit stretched. Her mother watched her, senses alert all the same even as she fixed her attention on her kit._

 _"Good morning," the white queen purred happily._

 _Yawning, the kit glanced at her mother. "Good morning, Bright!"_

 _"Moon, do you mind doing me a favor?" Bright asked hesitantly after a moment._

 _Moon nodded happily, bouncing out from the shelter of her mother's belly to stand in front of Bright's nose. "Anything, ma!"_

 _Bright swept her tail over the three other kits and spoke her favor. "I was hoping you might be willing to bring me some juniper berries. I've been feeling a little weak lately, and I've heard that juniper berries can give a cat strength."_

 _"Can't you go yourself?" Moon asked, sounding confused._

 _"I have to take care of Silver, Cloud, and Hail," Bright responded gently. Each kit stirred slightly at the mention of their name before dozing off again. Moon shrugged then nodded, turning around to trot away._

 _"Wait!" Bright called after her daughter._

 _"What?" Moon stopped, glancing over her shoulder. "I know what they look like, don't worry, ma!"_

 _Sighing, Bright beckoned for her daughter to hurry on and glanced away._

 _The kit disappeared into the bushes, tail streaming behind her._

 _Moon weaved through the trees, sniffing the air. The white kit blinked her eyes, delighted to find a giant bush with large clumps of juniper. Eagerly, Moon nipped off a bunch of juniper and trotted back towards where she had left her mother._

 _A screech split the air. Moon jumped, startled, and broke into a run._

 _By the time the white-furred kit reached her mother, the clearing was full of blood. Bright was frantically nosing three tiny shapes, all limp. Dread filled Moon's belly as she realized what lay before her eyes. It was her littermates, all three dead. Murdered._

 _Stumbling forwards, she buried her nose in her mother's white pelt, suddenly shivering._

 _Another screech, and her mother was suddenly pulled away from her. A ginger brute stood over Bright, and just as Moon looked up, the fox dealt the killing blow._

 _"No!" Moon shrieked, turning and fleeing from the clearing._

 _After a few hours she collapsed against a tree trunk, falling unconscious. The fox haunted the kit's dreams, along with the form of a cat who seemed to stand in such shadow that the cat's fur color was unrecognizable. There were long, curved claws and dark amber eyes, as if the cat was evil._

 _When Moon awoke she was in a mossy nest. A dark golden she-cat stood over her, her fur slightly mottled with darker shades. The cat had sunset colored eyes, her whiskers twitching. "You're awake at last."_

 _Next to her was a black she-cat with fur as dark as ebony. There was a distinctive pink scar on this she-cat's muzzle, and dark amber eyes that to Moon seemed like they could stare straight through a cat's soul. Moon shivered as she caught sight of long, curved claws, and with a start she realized that this black cat was just like the one in her dream._

 _"Don't hurt me!" Moon squeaked, terrified._

 _The black she-cat purred in amusement. "Don't worry, young one. This is Dusklight, our medicine cat, and I'm Ravenstar, the leader of NightClan. We're here to help you. Will you tell us your name?"_

 _"Moon." Moon responded, still shivering._

 _Ravenstar rest her tail on the white kit's quivering flank for a moment. "Be at peace, young one. We'll talk later."_

 _Moon drifted off into a peaceful slumber._

 _"Wake up!" A cat was prodding her shoulder. Moon woke sharply, saw Dusklight and Ravenstar, and relaxed._

 _"Is this the talk you mentioned?" Moon asked curiously._

 _Ravenstar nodded. "Would you like to join NightClan? We'll keep you safe, and from what we saw, you're... uh..." The NightClan leader hesitated, searching for words._

 _"I'm an orphan," Moon interrupted. "Spot on." Her tone was dry and sarcastic. "Since my mother and littermates totally weren't killed by a fox, leaving me to fare for myself."_

 _Then Ravenstar's question fully registered in Moon's mind. "J-join?" she stuttered, thinking fast. She would have food and shelter. "Okay. I'll do it."_

 _"You'll have to change your name, though," Ravenstar added gently. "Moon isn't accepted in clan ways. Is there another name you'd accept?"_

 _Moon's mind spun. A different name? But she had always been Moon! Then an idea hit the tiny kit._

 _"Call me Bright, please. Bright, kit of NightClan."_

...

Brightpaw jerked awake, panting. A memory... One she hadn't been able to recall since about the time she had been made and apprentice. She made herself hold still as she tried to safely secure the thought, but it slipped away from her mental grasp, fading away.

She sliced at her nest, frustrated, but Lilacstorm was calling for her.

"Hurry up! I can't wait all day!" Lilacstorm let out a groan, and Brightpaw could picture the warrior rolling her eyes. "You can go hunting with Rainstrike and I or you can spend the day cleaning out Quietkit's nest along with every other kit's and queen's!"

Getting to her feet, Brightpaw slipped out of the den.


End file.
